WE'RE POWERED BY VOLUNTEERS
Are you passionate about marine conservation and eager to make an impact? We need people like you. Come join us in Cozumel!
Be a change maker!
​Whether you have a few extra days in Cozumel or taking a longer sabbatical, considering giving back to the planet if you love marine life and the coral reefs.
Our work is entirely powered by volunteers and donations from the general public. As a volunteer, you'll have the opportunity to participate in hands-on coral restoration activities with Dr German. It could include tending to our coral platforms, planting corals back onto the reef, deploying sunshades to help prevent coral bleaching or assisting in research studies.
Requirements
Corals are very delicate so we need volunteers to know how to control their buoyancy and safely interact with them. You don't want to accidentally kill a coral or get stung by one!
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To ensure this, we require our volunteers to be:
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at least 14 years old
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PADI/SSI Open Water Diver*
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PADI AWARE Coral Reef Conservation Specialist*
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Have experience restoring Caribbean Corals*
* Don’t worry if you don’t have them. Go ahead and apply and we can help you get any certifications and training needed before you start!
Join the army of people that care for the reefs!
More than a thousand volunteers locally from Mexico, as well as all over the world, have come to lend a hand to help restore the reefs. Let’s spread the message that change is possible.
Apply to be a volunteer
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it cost?
We deeply appreciate the time and effort dedicated by our volunteers towards coral restoration. As a small NGO, we rely on donations and course proceeds to support these efforts.
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To ensure the long-term viability of our volunteer program, we kindly request a token contribution to offset some operational costs such as compressed air, additional equipment rental when needed, and crucial maintenance to keep our gear safe and in good working order for everyone.
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MX$60 per tank
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Use of equipment
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MX$200 per day
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MX$1000 per week (short-term volunteers)
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MX$2000 per month (longer-term volunteers)
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For context, equipment rental at local dive shops typically costs around USD$25/day. We believe this modest contribution allows us to continue offering valuable volunteer opportunities while responsibly managing our limited resources.
What are the hours like?
Once you are certified you can start volunteering with us as much as you’re available to.
Volunteers typically are here 4-5 days a week and we are normally closed on Sundays. A volunteering day typically starts around 10am until 3pm. It usually starts with a team briefing with Dr German then 2 scuba dives.
The coordination is done via our volunteer Whatsapp group.
What if I got these certifications outside of PADI?
We recognize all ISO diving certification organizations. If you were certified outside of PADI and unsure if you have these certifications please let us know so we can clarify things for you.
What will I do as a volunteer?
Depending on the needs of the corals, a volunteer dive can consist of anything from tending to the coral nursery, monitoring research projects, deploying or removing sunshades that prevent bleaching and planting corals onto the live rocks on the Villa Blanca reefs.
If you have special skills like underwater photography or filmmaking, we’ll love your help in amplify the message for our cause through photos, videos, short films we can share on social media to get more funding and volunteers.
Do you provide lodging?
We do not provide accommodations but here are some suggestions:
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Budget: Hostelito (local hostel with volunteer discounts)
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Mid-range: Airbnbs in Corpus Christi (10 min bike ride away)
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Hotel: Hotel Villablanca (affordable, walking distance)
​We offer free bike loans to all volunteers!
Why do I need diving insurance?
Since diving is most importantly about safety we require all volunteers and team members of the CCRRP to have diving insurance. For the relatively inexpensive cost of less than $100USD per year you can get full worldwide coverage. If you don’t have it already, we recommend getting the DAN Enhanced Membership along with their Diving Insurance Preferred Plan:
https://dan.org/membership-insurance/dive-insurance/
Note that most travel insurance providers do not cover diving unless it's an add on. If you are unsure you should check with your plan. If you do not have diving accident coverage under your travel insurance plan, note that the DAN is often cheaper than the add on.
How do I get certified before starting to volunteer?
We run the 2 day PADI AWARE Coral Reef Conservation Aware Specialty weekly on Thursday to Friday. Unlike the standard 1 day offering, our 2 day version includes learning about the Caribbean coral species you will be restoring and hands-on training on the restoration methods you will be using. By running these 2 courses consecutively volunteers can get both certifications in 5 days and volunteer right afterwards. We also add an extra weekly course on Monday to Tuesday during high season.
​We can accommodate extra courses outside our regular schedule, provided there are at least 2 people and we have at least 1 week's notice.
Go ahead and fill out the volunteer form and we can coordinate course dates with you.
What if I have these diving certifications but no experience with restoring Caribbean corals?
To ensure you are fully educated about the Caribbean coral species you will be restoring and trained on the reef restoration methods you will be using, we offer a 1 day orientation course for $150USD.
As this overlaps with the curriculum of day 2 of our PADI AWARE Coral Reef Conservation Course we run it weekly on Fridays, plus on Tuesdays during high season.